Sample Press Releases

P-3

Z:\Workshop Planning\Stephen Ministry Workshops\Host Documents\2_Publicity_Coordinator\P-3SamplePressReleases.doc

Publicity Coordinator

Sending out press releases can bring great results. Sometimes interested reporters will even

pursue a story about your church and your Stephen Ministry!

Adapt the attached sample press releases and send them to your local and denominational media.

Be sure to include the specific details about your workshop, and personalize the releases by

adding information about your congregation’s Stephen Ministry program.

We’ve found that newspapers will often publish a story when you send the release with a per-

sonal letter attached. (Adapt the sample cover letter below.) Include a copy of the “Media Fact

Sheet” with your release and cover letter.

If an article is published in your local newspaper please send us a copy!

Sample Cover Letter:

[Church or organization letterhead]

[Date]

[Name and address of publication]

Dear Editor [or proper name if you have that information]:

The enclosed news item is for immediate release in [name

of publication]. We are quite excited about our

upcoming workshop and the idea of involving laypeople in

caring ministry. We would like to share this news with your

readers.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at

[your phone number].

[Closing],

[Your name]

Sample Press Releases

Community Calendar Press Release:

Release Date: Immediate

Contact: [Your name]

[Your phone number]

[your congregation’s name] will host a Stephen Ministry Introductory Workshop on Saturday,

[date] from 9:00

A.M.–1:00 P.M. Registration begins at 8:00 A.M. For more information or to

www.stephenministry.org/workshop.

-------------------------------------------------------- OR ---------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, [date], [your congregation’s name] will host a Stephen Ministry Introductory Work-

shop from 9:00

A.M.–1:00 P.M. Registration begins at 8:00 A.M. This half-day, three-session

workshop is designed to help congregations catch a vision for strengthening their caring

ministry through equipping laypeople as caregivers. During this event, participants will also

develop caregiving skills they can use right away. The cost of this workshop is $15 per per-

son or $50 for a group of four or more from the same congregation. For more information or

to register for this half-day Stephen Ministry Introductory Workshop, call Stephen Ministries

at (314) 428-2600 or visit www.stephenministry.org/workshop.

Sample Press Releases

Print Media Press Release:

Release Date: Immediate

Contact: [Your name]

[Your phone number]

Stephen Ministry Introductory Workshop Offered

at [Name of Congregation]

Want to learn to be an active listener and reach out to others in a distinctively Christian

way? On Saturday, [date], [your congregation’s name] will host a Stephen Ministry Introduc-

tory Workshop from 9:00

A.M.–1:00 P.M. Registration begins at 8:00 A.M., and refreshments

will be served. The half-day workshop consists of three sessions designed both to enhance

participants’ caregiving skills and to help congregations explore ways to expand their caring

ministry.

“The needs for care in our congregation and community were much more than the pastor[s]

could handle alone,” said [name of pastor or Stephen Leader], one of [number] Stephen

Leaders who oversee [congregation]’s Stephen Ministry. “So we enrolled in Stephen

Ministry and are now equipping our members to provide quality one-to-one Christian care.”

The workshop is sponsored by Stephen Ministries, the St. Louis-based Christian training

organization that has been providing congregations with training and resources for Christian

caregiving since 1975. The workshop will be led by [insert information about your workshop

presenter, which you can obtain from your workshop assistant].

In the first session of the workshop, “Ministering to Those Experiencing Grief,” participants

learn about the grief process—the stages of grief and how to minister to people in each of

those stages. They’ll gain the skills and confidence to better care for individuals who are

grieving.

“Stephen Ministry helps our members fulfill their Christian calling to love one another,” said

[name of pastor]. “Loving and caring for people isn’t just the pastor’s job—all Christians are

called to minister to one another. We really look forward to this workshop as a way of help-

ing others become aware of this calling.”

The second session provides an introduction to Stephen Ministry, a system of lay caring

ministry through which congregation leaders can equip members to provide one-to-one

Christian care to people in need. Since 1975, more than 13,000 congregations representing

more than 180 denominations have implemented Stephen Ministry.

Over the past [number] years, [number] members of [congregation] have undertaken 20

sessions of training to become Stephen Ministers; [number] of them are currently active.

Sample Press Releases

Each meets weekly with someone who is experiencing a life crisis or challenge, such as the

death of a loved one, divorce, hospitalization, the loss of a job, loneliness, or relocation.

“Being a Stephen Minister has been a blessing to me,” said Stephen Minister [name]. “I

have grown so much spiritually through the experience of seeing God work through me to

touch the life of my care receiver.”

The final session of the workshop explains “How to Care in a Distinctively Christian Way.”

Participants learn what makes Christian caregiving unique and how they can use resources

like prayer, blessings, and Scripture in their caring for others.

The cost of the workshop is $15 per person or $50 for a group of four or more from the

same congregation. For more information, or to register to attend the Stephen Ministry In-

troductory Workshop at [name of host congregation], please contact Stephen Ministries at:

(314) 428-2600

You can also register online at www.stephenministry.org/workshop.

“I encourage people to attend,” said [name of pastor]. “Participants will go home with practi-

cal ministry skills and an excellent understanding of how they can organize the members of

their congregation for caring ministry through Stephen Ministry.”